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Cedric was born on April 24, 1964 in Jefferson City, Missouri, and is the son of Rosetta (née Boyce), a school teacher, and Kittrell Kyles, an employee of a railroad company.[1][2] His only sibling is his younger sister Sharita Kyles Wilson, an adjunct communications instructor at the University of Memphis in Memphis, Tennessee.[3][4] He was raised in Caruthersville, Missouri, but after junior high school he moved to Berkeley, Missouri. Cedric is a graduate of Berkeley High School in the northern suburbs of St. Louis.[5] He continues his involvement with his high school by awarding a scholarship each year to a graduating senior through his Cedric the Entertainer Charitable Foundation Inc. The foundation's motto is, "Reaching Out...Giving Back." Cedric majored in Mass Communication at Southeast Missouri State University and worked as a State Farm insurance claims adjuster, and substitute high school teacher before becoming a full-time comedian. He is also a member of Kappa Alpha Psi.

Cedric appeared as the lead comedian at the White House Correspondents Dinner but jokingly remarked that he was unprepared because he thought that he would follow a humorous speech by President George W. Bush but instead followed First Lady Laura Bush, whom he said, was very funny.

Cedric the Entertainer was the special guest host for WWE Raw on September 21, 2009 in Little Rock Arkansas. During the show, he participated in a wrestling match, defeating Chavo Guerrero by pinfall. The match also featured Santino Marella as a guest referee. Cedric also got help with an unknown wrestler dubbed The Sledge Hammer (played by Imani Lee) and Hornswoggle.[8][9]

In March 2010, Cedric made his directorial debut with Dance Fu, produced and funded independently by his company Bird and a Bear Entertainment with producer Eric C. Rhone. The film starred comedian Kel Mitchell. Cedric made a cameo appearance in the film as a Homicide detective. It was released straight-to-DVD on October 4, 2011.

Cedric was recently seen in the Broadway revival of David Mamet's "American Buffalo," the story of three small-time crooks who come to blows during a plot to steal a valuable coin collection.[10]

In 2003, Cedric was featured in the Korean rap artists Drunken Tiger on their album 'Foundation' on the 17th track '뉘우침' (repentance).

In a June 21, 2011 interview, Cedric confirmed that his latest reality game show, It's Worth What?, was going to air on July 12, 2011 on NBC,[11] however, the start date was delayed by one week to July 19, 2011. Since 2012, Cedric has played the main character in a new TV Land original series, The Soul Man, featuring Niecy Nash. The sitcom retuns for its fourth season in 2015.[12]

Cedric was the host of the American TV show Who Wants to Be a Millionaire beginning with its 12th season in national syndication, which premiered on September 2, 2013. “With his deep roots as a successful stand-up comedian and actor, Cedric will bring his fresh approach and unpredictable fun to the show,” said Janice Marinelli, president, Disney-ABC Domestic Television.[13] On April 30, 2014 Cedric announced that he will be leaving Who Wants to Be a Millionaire after the 2013-2014 season to focus on his busy schedule.[14] Actor Terry Crews took over as host on May 7, 2014.[15]